As part of an 18 month lease with JC, Mountain Christian Church is holding Sunday services on campus.
According to Mountain Christian Pastor Luke Erickson, the space at JC is not being used as an overflow space for current parishioners. “What we’re trying to do is create space for people who otherwise wouldn’t be going to church to have a place where we can worship,” Erickson said.
Services were kicked off on March 28 and run twice each Sunday in the auditorium. When the auditorium is too hot to hold services in, the service will be moved to the gym.
According to Erickson, after pursuing many other properties across the county, Mountain Christian contacted JC about a year ago. “There seemed to be an open door there [at JC], so we pursued it and it eventually became evident that an agreement could be reached,” Erickson said.
According to President Richard O’Hara, there were “many months of discussion.”
The school “wanted to make sure they were compatible with who we are,” O’Hara said.
Furthermore, JC is receiving “$30,000 to 35,000” from the agreement, which had to be drafted and approved by the archdiocese, according to O’Hara. The money has no specific destination, and will go directly into the general fund.
However, O’Hara said, the compensation was not the main reason for the agreement. “We wanted to be a good neighbor,” but also “cultivate an association with a large Christian community with a K-8 school.”
Erickson said the attraction of more families to JC through the relationship as “a possibility.” However, “it’s too early to tell,” Erickson said.
Mountain Christian utilizes not only the gym and the auditorium for services, but also the Brown Room, cafeteria, and teacher’s lounge for children’s areas. “All of it’s been excellent. It’s a great space in a lot of ways,” Erickson said.
Junior and Mountain Christian parishioner Ashley Snyder says the services at JC are “exactly the same,” with the exception of the sermon being pre-recorded and played for those at the JC service.
There are cases where events at JC will prevent Mountain Christian from having services. According to Erickson, Mountain Christian held services at the Arena Club Sunday, May 2, due to the Country Fair and Music Festival at JC.
So far, according to Erickson, Mountain Christian has seen 750 to 800 people attending services at JC each week. “We’re seeing a lot of new faces, and that’s the encouraging thing. We only get excited about that number when it only includes people who otherwise wouldn’t go to Church,” Erickson said.
Each weekend, estimated Erickson, 4,200 parishioners attend services “across both campuses.”
“I really want it to work. I’ll stay here.” Snyder said. Snyder even foresees “Saturday services being offered.”
Erickson is excited about the prospect of the agreement. There is “room to grow in a lot of ways. We appreciated their [JC’s] consideration and taking a chance on this,” Erickson said.
Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at [email protected].